Related papers: Linking Topological Quantum Field Theory and Nonpe…
We describe a simple gauge-fixing that leads to a construction of a quantum Hilbert space for quantum gravity in an asymptotically Anti de Sitter spacetime, valid to all orders of perturbation theory. The construction is motivated by a…
A quantum isolated horizon can be modeled by an SU(2) Chern-Simons theory on a punctured 2-sphere. We show how a local 2-dimensional conformal symmetry arises at each puncture inducing an infinite set of new observables localized at the…
We study the quantum mechanics of a system of topologically interacting particles in 2+1 dimensions, which is described by coupling the particles to a Chern-Simons gauge field of an inhomogeneous group. Analysis of the phase space shows…
We demonstrate in detail how the space of two-dimensional quantum field theories can be parametrized by off-shell states of a free closed string moving in a flat background. The dynamic equation corresponding to the condition of conformal…
By invoking an asymmetric metric tensor, and borrowing ideas from non-commutative geometry, string theory, and trace dynamics, we propose an action function for quantum gravity. The action is proportional to the four dimensional…
We review the various aspects of the 3D Einstein gravity theory with a negative cosmological constant and its boundary description. We also explore its connections to CFTs, modular symmetry, and holography. It is worth noting that this…
In this paper, we outline a new approach to quantum gravity; describing states for a bounded region of spacetime as eigenstates for two classes of physically plausible gedanken experiments. We end up with two complementary descriptions in…
Recent work on the loop representation of quantum gravity has revealed previously unsuspected connections between knot theory and quantum gravity, or more generally, 3-dimensional topology and 4-dimensional generally covariant physics. We…
We relate the collective dynamic internal geometric degrees of freedom to the gauge fluctuations in $\nu=1/m$(m odd) fractional quantum Hall effects. In this way, in the lowest Landau level, a highly nontrivial quantum geometry in…
The continuum of real numbers has served well as a model for physical space in mechanics and field theories. However it is a well-motivated and popular idea that at the fundamental Planck scale the combination of gravitational and quantum…
In this paper we investigate the bound state problem of nonrelativistic quantum particles on a conical surface. This kind of surface appears as a topological defect in ordinary semiconductors as well as in graphene sheets. Specifically, we…
The space of quantum states can be endowed with a metric structure using the second order derivatives of the relative entropy, giving rise to the so-called Kubo-Mori-Bogoliubov inner product. We explore its geometric properties on the…
The quantum metric encodes the geometric structure of Bloch wave functions and governs a wide range of physical responses. Its Brillouin-zone integral, the quantum weight, appears in the structure factor and provides lower bounds on…
Gravity is uniquely situated in between classical topological field theories and standard local field theories. This can be seen in the the quasi-local nature of gravitational observables, but is nowhere more apparent than in gravity's…
A classical dynamical system in a four-dimensional Euclidean space with universal time is considered. The space is hypothesized to be originally occupied by a uniform substance, pictured as a liquid, which at some time became supercooled.…
We formulate a renormalizable quantum gravity in $2+\epsilon$ dimensions by generalizing the nonlinear sigma model approach to string theory. We find that the theory possesses the ultraviolet stable fixed point if the central charge of the…
We investigate the construction of coherent states for quantum theories of connections based on graphs embedded in a spatial manifold, as in loop quantum gravity. We discuss the many subtleties of the construction, mainly related to the…
The Chern-Simons theory defined on a 3-dimensional manifold with boundary is written as a two-dimensional field theory defined only on the boundary of the three-manifold. The resulting theory is, essentially, the pullback to the boundary of…
Quantum gravity theories predict a minimal length at the order of magnitude of the Planck length, under which the concepts of space and time lose every physical meaning. In quantum mechanics, the insurgence of such minimal length can be…
On the path towards quantum gravity, we find friction between temporal relations in quantum mechanics (QM) (where they are fixed and field-independent), and in general relativity (where they are field-dependent and dynamic). This paper aims…